Power flow controller synchronization

ABSTRACT

Techniques for wireless power transfer are disclosed. An example of an apparatus for receiving power in a wireless power transfer system includes a power receiving element, a tuning and current doubler circuit operably coupled to the power receiving element, a power flow controller circuit operably coupled to the tuning and current doubler circuit, and a controller operable coupled to the power receiving element and the power flow controller circuit and configured to detect a signal in the power receiving element and to synchronize the power flow controller circuit based on the signal.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.15/453,977, filed on Mar. 9, 2017, entitled “POWER FLOW CONTROLLERSYNCHRONIZATION,” which claims the benefit of U.S. ProvisionalApplication No. 62/394,392 filed on Sep. 14, 2016, entitled “POWER FLOWCONTROLLER SYNCHRONIZATION,” each of which is assigned to the assigneehereof and of which the entire contents are hereby incorporated hereinby reference for all purposes.

FIELD

This application is generally related to wireless power charging ofchargeable devices, and more particularly for synchronization of a powerflow controller with a receiver voltage signal.

BACKGROUND

A variety of electrical and electronic devices are powered viarechargeable batteries. Such devices include electric vehicles, mobilephones, portable music players, laptop computers, tablet computers,computer peripheral devices, communication devices (e.g., Bluetoothdevices), digital cameras, hearing aids, and the like. Historically,rechargeable devices have been charged via wired connections throughcables or other similar connectors that are physically connected to apower supply. More recently, wireless charging systems are being used totransfer power in free space to be used to charge rechargeableelectronic devices or provide power to electronic devices. The transferof power in free space may be dependent on the orientation of atransmitting and receiving units. Changes in the relative positionand/or resonant frequencies of the transmitting and receiving unitsduring charging operations can create stress on the circuit components.These potential variations in operating parameters often mean that acircuit must be over designed to ensure the components are robust enoughto accommodate the changes. Such overly robust designs can increase theunit cost, and may have other undesired performance characteristics.Wireless power transfer systems and methods that allow for more costeffect designs to control and safely transfer power to electronicdevices in such dynamic environments are desirable.

SUMMARY

An example of an apparatus for receiving power in a wireless powertransfer system according to the disclosure includes a power receivingelement, a tuning and current doubler circuit operably coupled to thepower receiving element, a power flow controller circuit operablycoupled to the tuning and current doubler circuit, and a controlleroperable coupled to the power receiving element and the power flowcontroller circuit and configured to detect a signal in the powerreceiving element and to synchronize the power flow controller circuitbased on the signal.

Implementations of such an apparatus may include one or more of thefollowing features. The controller may be configured to synchronize thefrequency of the power flow controller based on a negative zerocrossover point in the signal. The controller may be configured tosynchronize the frequency of the power flow controller based on apositive zero crossover point in the signal. A power output may beoperably coupled to the power flow controller circuit. The power outputmay be a battery. The signal in the power receiving element may be avoltage signal in the power receiving element. The frequency of thevoltage signal may be in the range of 80 to 90 kHz. The tuning andcurrent double circuit may include at least one capacitor, at least twodiodes, and at least two inductors. The power flow controller circuitmay include at least one switch operably coupled to the controller,wherein synchronizing the power flow controller includes activating theat least one switch based on the signal. The controller may beconfigured to determine a duty cycle of the power flow controller. Thecontroller may be configured to determine the duty cycle based on apower receiving element inductance value. The signal may be a currentsignal in the power receiving element. The power receiving element mayreceive power via an inductive coupling with a transmitter.

An example of a method of controlling a receiver in a wireless powertransfer system according to the disclosure includes detecting a signalin a power receiving element, such that the signal is at an operatingfrequency, determining a synchronization point in the signal, andactivating a power flow controller based on the synchronization pointand the operating frequency.

Implementations of such a method may include one or more of thefollowing features.

Determining the synchronization point may include determining a negativezero voltage crossing point in the signal. Determining thesynchronization point may include determining a positive zero voltagecrossing point in the signal. The method may include determining a powerreceiving element inductance value, determining a power flow controllerduty cycle based on the power receiving element inductance value, andactivating the power flow controller based at least in part on the powerflow controller duty cycle. Activating the power flow controllerincludes controlling a drain to source voltage in one or moretransistors based on the synchronization point and the operatingfrequency. The method may further include determining an electricalcurrent output to a battery, such that the battery is operably coupledto the power flow controller via an output filter, determining a powerflow controller duty cycle based on the electrical current output, andactivating the power flow controller based at least in part on the powerflow controller duty cycle. The power flow controller duty cycle may bebetween 0% and 50%. The signal detected in the power receiving elementmay be a voltage or current signal.

An example of a non-transitory processor-readable storage mediumcomprising instructions for controlling a receiver in a wireless powertransfer system according to the disclosure includes code for detectinga signal in a power receiving element, wherein the signal is at anoperating frequency, code for determining a synchronization point in thesignal, and code for activating a power flow controller based on thesynchronization point and the operating frequency.

Implementations of such a non-transitory processor-readable storagemedium may include one or more of the following features. The code fordetermining the synchronization point may include code for determining anegative zero voltage crossing point in the signal. The code fordetermining the synchronization point may include code for determining apositive zero voltage crossing point in the signal. The non-transitoryprocessor-readable storage medium may include code for determining apower receiving element inductance value, code for determining a powerflow controller duty cycle based on the power receiving elementinductance value, and code for activating the power flow controllerbased at least in part on the power flow controller duty cycle. The codefor activating the power flow controller may include code forcontrolling a drain to source voltage in one or more transistors basedon the synchronization point and the operating frequency. Thenon-transitory processor-readable storage medium may include code fordetermining an electrical current output to a battery, such that thebattery is operably coupled to the power flow controller via an outputfilter, code for determining a power flow controller duty cycle based onthe electrical current output, and code for activating the power flowcontroller based at least in part on the power flow controller dutycycle. The power flow controller duty cycle may be between 0% and 50%.The signal may be a voltage or current signal.

An example of an apparatus for receiving power in a wireless powertransfer system according to the disclosure includes a power receivingmeans, a tuning and current doubler means operably coupled to the powerreceiving means, a power flow controller means operably coupled to thetuning and current doubler means, and a controller means operablecoupled to the power receiving means and the power flow controller meansand configured to detect a signal in the power receiving means and tosynchronize the power flow controller means based on the signal. Thesignal may be a voltage or current signal.

Items and/or techniques described herein may provide one or more of thefollowing capabilities, as well as other capabilities not mentioned. Awireless power transfer receiving unit may be positioned in proximity toa transmitting unit. A voltage signal or current signal may be detectedin the receiving unit. The frequency of the transmitting unit may bedetected at the receiving unit. A synchronization point may be selected(e.g., positive zero voltage crossover, negative zero crossover voltage,or other points). A power flow controller (e.g., a switch modecontroller) in the receiver may be synchronized to the transmitterfrequency based on the synchronization point. Ripple current caused byinductors in the receiver may be reduced based on the power flowcontroller's duty cycle. The operational stability of the receiver maybe increased. A smaller more efficient current doubler may be used inthe receiver. Stress on the transmitter components may be reduced.Changing the duty cycle of the power flow controller can change theripple current. The ripple current may indicate the amount of powerbeing injected into the resonant tank circuit in the receiver. Changingthe synchronization point may be used to for tuning the receiver.Changing the duty cycle may be used to adjust for inductance variationcaused by variations in base pad alignment. Other capabilities may beprovided and not every implementation according to the disclosure mustprovide any, let alone all, of the capabilities discussed. Further, itmay be possible for an effect noted above to be achieved by means otherthan that noted, and a noted item/technique may not necessarily yieldthe noted effect.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a functional block diagram of an exemplary wireless powertransfer system.

FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram of an example of another wirelesspower transfer system.

FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of a portion of transmit circuitry orreceive circuitry of FIG. 2 including a transmit or receive element.

FIG. 4 is a diagram of an exemplary wireless power transfer system witha control loop on the receive circuitry.

FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram of an example receiver in a wireless powertransfer system.

FIG. 6 is a simplified schematic diagram of an example current doublerstage.

FIG. 7A is a simplified schematic diagram of an example circuit withonly one inductor.

FIG. 7B is a graph of voltage in a vehicle pad.

FIGS. 8A and 8B are examples of current flow through the circuit of FIG.7A.

FIG. 9 is a graph of current ripple in DC inductors.

FIG. 10 is a graph of an example of power flow operation.

FIGS. 11A and 11B are simplified schematic diagrams of a circuit withpositive zero voltage crossover point synchronization.

FIGS. 12A and 12B are simplified schematic diagrams of a circuit withnegative zero voltage crossover point synchronization.

FIG. 13A is a graph of simulated waveforms for positive zero voltagecrossover point synchronization.

FIG. 13B is a graph of simulated waveforms for negative zero voltagecrossover point synchronization.

FIGS. 14A and 14B are graphs of output and inductor currents with andwithout synchronization.

FIG. 15 is a flowchart of a process for controlling a receiver in awireless power transfer system.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Techniques are discussed herein for wireless power transfer usingresonant circuits. Wireless power transfer may refer to transferring anyform of energy associated with electric fields, magnetic fields,electromagnetic fields, or otherwise from a transmitter to a receiverwithout physical electrical conductors attached to and connecting thetransmitter to the receiver to deliver the power (e.g., power may betransferred through free space). The power output into a wireless field(e.g., a magnetic field or an electromagnetic field) may be received,captured by, or coupled to by a power receiving element to achieve powertransfer. The transmitter transfers power to the receiver through awireless coupling of the transmitter and receiver. In an example, thetransmitter and receiver are used in a Wireless Electric VehicleCharging (WEVC) system. An electric vehicle is used herein to describe aremote system, an example of which is a vehicle that includes, as partof its locomotion capabilities, electrical power derived from achargeable energy storage device (e.g., one or more rechargeableelectrochemical cells or other type of battery). As non-limitingexamples, some electric vehicles may be hybrid electric vehicles thatinclude, besides electric motors, a traditional combustion engine fordirect locomotion or to charge the vehicle's battery. Other electricvehicles may draw all locomotion ability from electrical power. Anelectric vehicle is not limited to an automobile and may includemotorcycles, carts, scooters, and the like. By way of example and notlimitation, a remote system is described herein in the form of anelectric vehicle (EV). Furthermore, other remote systems that may be atleast partially powered using a chargeable energy storage device arealso contemplated (e.g., electronic devices such as personal computingdevices and the like).”

A wireless power transfer system may be required to handle variations ofseveral operating parameters during charging operations. In a paralleltuned circuit with a passive secondary side receiver, the operatingparameter variations are generally handled by the base side inverter(i.e., the transmitter). The passive electronics in the transmitter mayalso be affected by battery voltage variation which may cause additionallosses in the receiving coil. These parametric changes may add morevariation that the transmitter must handle, which may increase thestress on the transmitter components (e.g., inverter). In some operatingpoints, the unfavorable combination of operating parameters may placeconsiderable stress on the inverter components and significantly reducethe system efficiency.

A receiver with power flow controller synchronization may be used toreduce the variation of the operating parameters by fixing the batteryvoltage variation as seen by the receiver. Power flow controllersynchronization may eliminate the need for a partial series circuit inthe receiver and the corresponding detuning effects may be reduced. Ingeneral, power flow controller synchronization may increase theefficiency of a wireless power transfer system overall average byallowing the transmitter inverter to operate under more favorable (e.g.,less stressful) conditions.

FIG. 1 is a functional block diagram of an example of a wireless powertransfer system 100. Input power 102 may be provided to a transmitter104 from a power source (not shown in this figure) to generate awireless (e.g., magnetic or electromagnetic) field 105 for performingenergy transfer. A receiver 108 may couple to the wireless field 105 andgenerate output power 110 for storing or consumption by a device (notshown in this figure) that is coupled to receive the output power 110.The transmitter 104 and the receiver 108 are separated by a non-zerodistance 112. The transmitter 104 includes a power transmitting element114 configured to transmit/couple energy to the receiver 108. Thereceiver 108 includes a power receiving element 118 configured toreceive or capture/couple energy transmitted from the transmitter 104.

The transmitter 104 and the receiver 108 may be configured according toa mutual resonant relationship. When the resonant frequency of thereceiver 108 and the resonant frequency of the transmitter 104 aresubstantially the same, transmission losses between the transmitter 104and the receiver 108 are reduced compared to the resonant frequenciesnot being substantially the same. As such, wireless power transfer maybe provided over larger distances when the resonant frequencies aresubstantially the same. Resonant inductive coupling techniques allow forimproved efficiency and power transfer over various distances and with avariety of inductive power transmitting and receiving elementconfigurations.

The wireless field 105 may correspond to the near field of thetransmitter 104. The near field corresponds to a region in which thereare strong reactive fields resulting from currents and charges in thepower transmitting element 114 that do not significantly radiate poweraway from the power transmitting element 114. The near field maycorrespond to a region that up to about one wavelength, of the powertransmitting element 114. Efficient energy transfer may occur bycoupling a large portion of the energy in the wireless field 105 to thepower receiving element 118 rather than propagating most of the energyin an electromagnetic wave to the far field.

The transmitter 104 may output a time-varying magnetic (orelectromagnetic) field with a frequency corresponding to the resonantfrequency of the power transmitting element 114. When the receiver 108is within the wireless field 105, the time-varying magnetic (orelectromagnetic) field may induce a current in the power receivingelement 118. As described above, with the power receiving element 118configured as a resonant circuit to resonate at the frequency of thepower transmitting element 114, energy may be efficiently transferred.An alternating current (AC) signal induced in the power receivingelement 118 may be rectified to produce a direct current (DC) signalthat may be provided to charge an energy storage device (e.g., abattery) or to power a load.

FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram of an example of a wireless powertransfer system 200. The system 200 includes a transmitter 204 and areceiver 208. The transmitter 204 is configured to provide power to apower transmitting element 214 that is configured to transmit powerwirelessly to a power receiving element 218 that is configured toreceive power from the power transmitting element 214 and to providepower to the receiver 208. Despite their names, the power transmittingelement 214 and the power transmitting element 218, being passiveelements, may transmit and receive power and communications.

The transmitter 204 includes the power transmitting element 214,transmit circuitry 206 that includes an oscillator 222, a driver circuit224, and a front-end circuit 226. The power transmitting element 214 isshown outside the transmitter 204 to facilitate illustration of wirelesspower transfer using the power transmitting element 218. The oscillator222 may be configured to generate an oscillator signal at a desiredfrequency that may adjust in response to a frequency control signal 223.The oscillator 222 may provide the oscillator signal to the drivercircuit 224. The driver circuit 224 may be configured to drive the powertransmitting element 214 at, for example, a resonant frequency of thepower transmitting element 214 based on an input voltage signal (VD)225. The driver circuit 224 may be a switching amplifier configured toreceive a square wave from the oscillator 222 and output a sine wave.

The front-end circuit 226 may include a filter circuit configured tofilter out harmonics or other unwanted frequencies. The front-endcircuit 226 may include a matching circuit configured to match theimpedance of the transmitter 204 to the impedance of the powertransmitting element 214. As will be explained in more detail below, thefront-end circuit 226 may include a tuning circuit to create a resonantcircuit with the power transmitting element 214. As a result of drivingthe power transmitting element 214, the power transmitting element 214may generate a wireless field 205 to wirelessly output power at a levelsufficient for charging a battery 236, or powering a load.

The transmitter 204 further includes a controller 240 operably coupledto the transmit circuitry 206 and configured to control one or moreaspects of the transmit circuitry 206, or accomplish other operationsrelevant to managing the transfer of power. The controller 240 may beoperably connected, directly or indirectly, to each component of thetransmit circuitry 206. The controller 240 may be further configured toreceive information from each of the components of the transmitcircuitry 206 and perform calculations based on the receivedinformation. The controller 240 may be configured to generate controlsignals (e.g., signal 223) for each of the components that may adjustthe operation of that component. As such, the controller 240 may beconfigured to adjust or manage the power transfer based on a result ofthe operations performed by the controller 240. The transmitter 204 mayfurther include a memory (not shown) configured to store data, forexample, such as instructions for causing the controller 240 to performparticular functions, such as those related to management of wirelesspower transfer.

The receiver 208 includes the power receiving element 218, and receivecircuitry 210 that includes a front-end circuit 232 and a rectifiercircuit 234. The power receiving element 218 is shown outside thereceiver 208 to facilitate illustration of wireless power transfer usingthe power receiving element 218. The front-end circuit 232 may includematching circuitry configured to match the impedance of the receivecircuitry 210 to the impedance of the power receiving element 218. Aswill be explained below, the front-end circuit 232 may further include atuning circuit and a current doubler to create a resonant circuit withthe power receiving element 218. The rectifier circuit 234 may generatea DC power output from an AC power input to charge the battery 236, asshown in FIG. 3. The rectifier circuit 234 may include an interleavedpower flow controller (e.g., switch mode controller) with one or moresemiconductor switches configured to control the power to the battery236. The receiver 208 and the transmitter 204 may additionallycommunicate on a separate communication channel 219 (e.g., BLUETOOTH,ZIGBEE, cellular, etc.). The receiver 208 and the transmitter 204 mayalternatively communicate via in-band signaling using characteristics ofthe wireless field 205.

The receiver 208 may be configured to determine whether an amount ofpower transmitted by the transmitter 204 and received by the receiver208 is appropriate for charging the battery 236. The transmitter 204 maybe configured to generate a predominantly non-radiative field with adirect field coupling coefficient (k) for providing energy transfer. Thereceiver 208 may directly couple to the wireless field 205 and generatean output power for storing or consumption by a battery (or load) 236coupled to the output or receive circuitry 210. In this example, thegenerated output power is associated with the resonant circuit in thefront end 232 because the tuning of the resonant circuit will impact theamount of output power generated.

The receiver 208 further includes a controller 250 that may beconfigured similarly to the transmit controller 240 as described abovefor managing one or more aspects of the wireless power receiver 208. Thereceiver 208 may further include a memory (not shown) configured tostore data, such as instructions for causing the controller 250 toperform particular functions, such as those related to management ofwireless power transfer.

As discussed above, transmitter 204 and receiver 208 may be separated bya distance and may be configured according to a mutual resonantrelationship to try to minimize transmission losses between thetransmitter 204 and the receiver 208.

FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of an example of a portion of the transmitcircuitry 206 or the receive circuitry 210 of FIG. 2. While a coil, andthus an inductive system, is shown in FIG. 3, other types of systems,such as capacitive systems for coupling power, may be used, with thecoil replaced with an appropriate power transfer (e.g., transmit and/orreceive) element. As illustrated in FIG. 3, transmit or receivecircuitry 350 includes a power transmitting or receiving element 352 anda tuning circuit 360. The power transmitting or receiving element 352may also be referred to or be configured as an antenna such as a “loop”antenna. The term “antenna” generally refers to a component that maywirelessly output energy for reception by another antenna and that mayreceive wireless energy from another antenna. The power transmitting orreceiving element 352 may also be referred to herein or be configured asa “magnetic” antenna, such as an induction coil (as shown), a resonator,or a portion of a resonator. The power transmitting or receiving element352 may also be referred to as a coil or resonator of a type that isconfigured to wirelessly output or receive power. As used herein, thepower transmitting or receiving element 352 is an example of a “powertransfer component” of a type that is configured to wirelessly outputand/or receive power. The power transmitting or receiving element 352may include an air core or a physical core such as a ferrite core (notshown).

When the power transmitting or receiving element 352 is configured as aresonant circuit or resonator with tuning circuit 360, the resonantfrequency of the power transmitting or receiving element 352 may bebased on the inductance and capacitance. Inductance may be simply theinductance created by a coil and/or other inductor forming the powertransmitting or receiving element 352. Capacitance (e.g., a capacitor)may be provided by the tuning circuit 360 to create a resonant structureat a desired resonant frequency. As a non-limiting example, the tuningcircuit 360 may comprise a capacitor 354 and a capacitor 356, which maybe added to the transmit or receive circuitry 350 to create a resonantcircuit.

The tuning circuit 360 may include other components to form a resonantcircuit with the power transmitting or receiving element 352. As anothernon-limiting example, the tuning circuit 360 may include a capacitor(not shown) placed in parallel between the two terminals of thecircuitry 350. Still other designs are possible. For example, the tuningcircuit in the front-end circuit 226 may have the same design (e.g.,360) as the tuning circuit in the front-end circuit 232. Alternatively,the front-end circuit 226 may use a tuning circuit design different thanin the front-end circuit 232.

For power transmitting elements, the signal 358, with a frequency thatsubstantially corresponds to the resonant frequency of the powertransmitting or receiving element 352, may be an input to the powertransmitting or receiving element 352. For power receiving elements, thesignal 358, with a frequency that substantially corresponds to theresonant frequency of the power transmitting or receiving element 352,may be an output from the power transmitting or receiving element 352.Although aspects disclosed herein may be generally directed to resonantwireless power transfer, persons of ordinary skill will appreciate thataspects disclosed herein may be used in non-resonant implementations forwireless power transfer.

Referring to FIG. 4, a diagram of an exemplary wireless power transfersystem 400 with a control loop on the receive circuitry is shown. Thesystem 400 includes a transmitter 402 and resonant network 404 with acontrol circuit 408. The transmitter 402 is configured to output atime-varying field 405 (e.g., magnetic or electromagnetic) such asdescribed for the transmit element 214. The resonant network 404 isconfigured to provide an output 406. The resonant network 404 may bepart of the front end 232 and the output 406 may receive an AC signalwhich is associated with the tuning of the resonant network 404. Theoutput 406 may be, for example, further rectified for use in powerapplications (e.g., battery charging), or used in impedance matchingdevices (e.g., antenna matching in a communication system). A controlcircuit 408 may be part of the controller 250 and is operably coupled tothe output 406 and the resonant network 404. The resonant network 404comprises a resonant circuit with one or more reactive elements and acurrent doubler. In a charging configuration, the resonant network mayinclude an interleaved power flow controller with one or more switchingsemiconductors (e.g., transistors). The control circuit 408 may beconfigured to change the duty cycle of the power flow controller basedon a voltage/current at the output 406. The control circuit 408 may beoperably coupled to the power flow controller and configured to changethe state of the transistors (e.g., the duty cycle). For example, thecontrol circuit 408 may detect feedback parameter on the output 406(e.g., a current, a voltage, a standing wave ratio, or other parameter),generate a control signal based on the feedback signal, and provide thecontrol signal to the power flow controller (or other related elements)to change power provide to the output 406.

Referring to FIG. 5, a schematic diagram of an example receiver 500 in awireless power transfer system is shown. In an effort to moreefficiently explain aspects of power flow controller synchronization,the example receiver 500 is directed to wireless electric vehiclecharging (WEVC). For example, the receiver 500 may be or be part of avehicle pad (e.g., secondary side unit) that is integrated on a vehiclefor wirelessly receiving power from a transmitter that may be a base pad(e.g., primary side unit) that is on or buried on a driving surface.Power flow controller synchronization may also be used in otherapplications and devices such as mobile phones, portable music players,laptop computers, tablet computers, computer peripheral devices,communication devices (e.g., Bluetooth devices), digital cameras,hearing aids, and the like. The receiver 500 illustrates the four mainstages of an inductive power transfer system secondary side including avehicle pad circuit 502, a tuning and current doubler circuit 504, aninterleaved power flow controller (boost) stage 506 and an output filter508. The vehicle pad circuit 502 includes a vehicle pad coil VP. Thetuning and current doubler circuit 504 includes a parallel tuningcapacitor C1, a first diode D1, a second diode D2, a first inductor L1,and a second inductor L2. The interleaved power flow controller stage506 may be part of a switch mode controller and includes a firsttransistor device MN1, a second transistor device MN2, a third diode D3,and a fourth diode D4. In an example, the first and second transistorsMN1, MN2 are metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistors(MOSFETs) configured to be independently opened or closed via arespective control signal (e.g., ctrl 1, ctrl 2). The use of MOSFETdevices is exemplary only and not a limitation as other switchingstructures may be used. The output filter 508 includes a filtercapacitor C3 and a filter inductor L3. The receiver 500 may be operablycoupled to a battery B1. The specifications of the components in thereceiver 500 will vary based on application and expected power levels.In a vehicle charging application, the voltage across with vehicle pad(V_(VP)) may be in the range from 500-800V. The first and second diodesD1, D2 may be rated for 1200V, the third and fourth diodes D3, D4 may berated for 650V, and the MOSFETs MN1, MN2 may be rated to 650V. Theoutput V_(bat) may be in the range of 300-400V.

Referring to FIG. 6, with further reference to FIG. 5, a schematic of anexample current doubler stage 600 is shown. The current doubler stage600 is a simplified version of the receiver 500 (i.e., without theinterleaved power flow controller stage 506 and the output filter 508).The current doubler stage 600 is provided to facilitate the explanationof a current doubler. The current doubler stage 600 may be furthersimplified to include only one inductor L1, as shown in FIG. 7A.

Referring to FIG. 7A, schematic diagram of an example of a circuit 700with only one inductor is shown. The description herein for the circuit700 is equally valid for the current doubler stage 600 (e.g., includingtwo inductors L1, L2), with the difference that there is reversedpolarity of the VP voltage. The output current flowing into the batteryB1 is a sum of the two inductor currents (e.g., I_(L1), I_(L2)) which isthe reason why this section of the receiver 500 is called a “currentdoubler” topology. Referring to FIG. 7B, a graph of voltage in a vehiclepad (VP) is shown. The graph includes a voltage axis 720, a time (t)axis 722, and a VP voltage value 724. The graph also includes a batteryvoltage (V_(Bat)) line 726, a positive zero voltage crossing (ZVC) point730, and a negative ZVC point 732. The operating period from T=0 toT=T_(s)/2 is split into three intervals. During a first interval 728 athe VP voltage is larger than the battery voltage (V_(Bat)<V_(VP)).During a second interval 728 b and a third interval 728 c the batteryvoltage is larger than the VP voltage (V_(Bat)>V_(VP)). During the firstinterval 728 a, the resonant tank (e.g., the inductor VP and capacitorC1) serves as the energy source. The inductor L1 is exposed to thedifference between the VP voltage (positive half period) and the batteryvoltage (V_(VP)−V_(Bat)). The energy is stored in the inductor L1 (i.e.,current in the inductor increases). During the second interval (e.g.,V_(Bat)>V_(VP)), the inductor L1 uses its stored energy and serves asthe energy source. The voltage across the inductor L1 is equal to−V_(Bat).

Referring to FIGS. 8A and 8B, with further reference to FIG. 5, examplesof current flow through the circuit 700 are shown. FIG. 8A shows thecurrent flow through the circuit 700 for V_(VP)>0 (i.e., 0<t<Ts/2). FIG.8B shows the current flow through the circuit 700 for V_(VP)<0 (i.e.,Ts/2<t<Ts). During the interval when V_(VP)>0 (i.e., 0<t<Ts/2), theinductor stores as well as supplies the energy. FIGS. 8A and 8B showthat the full battery current crosses one of the first or second diodesD1, D2, but only during one half of the period. If the third and fourthdiodes D3, D4 are installed (e.g., the full circuit as shown in FIG. 5without switching), one half of the battery current would cross duringthe entire operating period. In case the current doubler stage 600, asshown in FIG. 6, the inductors L1, L2 should have similar values tomaintain the symmetry of the circuit. As long as the inductor values arenot infinitely large, they also carry an AC ripple current, in additionto the DC load current, due to being charged and discharged with energy.An example of the inductor AC ripple currents is shown in FIG. 9. Thegraph of current ripple in DC inductors in FIG. 9 includes a time axis902, a current axis 904, and a first ripple current 906 a (e.g.,associated with the first inductor L1), and a second ripple current 906b (e.g., associated with second inductor L2). The ripple currents 906a-b are shifted by 180° such that when they are combined together at theoutput, the resulting ripple to the battery B1 is reduced significantly.As a result, for WEVC applications, the output filter 508 can bedesigned rather small if only the standard 80 90 kHz filtering isconsidered. In addition, each of the first and second inductors L1, L2loads the resonant circuit in different half periods. The AC ripple atthe operating frequency (e.g. 80-90 kHz) can be a significant lossdrivers for this type of receiver. The AC current also reflects animpedance back into the resonant tank which can lead to detuning of thetank resonance.

In an example, the interleaved power flow controller stage 506 appearsto be a boost converter from a circuit diagram perspective, however,functionally it is more similar to a buck converter. A function of theinterleaved power flow controller stage 506 is to fix the input voltage(i.e., V_(VP)) when the output voltage (i.e., V_(BAT)) changes byadjusting the duty cycle of the switches MN1, MN2. The interleaved powerflow controller stage 506 and the control circuit 408 may be a switchmode controller configured to control the power that flows from theresonant tank to the battery B1. The interleaved power flow controllerstage 506 is coupled to the current doubler circuit 504 as shown in FIG.5. Each transistor (e.g., switch) MN1, MN2 of the interleaved power flowcontroller stage 506 acts on the current of one of the current doublerinductors L1, L2. The control signals (i.e., ctrl 1, ctrl 2) for the twoswitches MN1, MN2 are interleaved (e.g., phase shifted by 180 degrees).In combination with the current doubler circuit 504, each of the twoswitches MN1, MN2 operates at half of the battery current (e.g., outputcurrent). The switching of the transistor switches MN1, MN2 issynchronized (e.g., aligned) to the VP voltage in order to attainimproved power flow.

Referring to FIG. 10, a graph 1000 of an example of power flow stageoperation is shown. The graph 1000 includes a time axis 1002, a voltageaxis 1004, a VP voltage signal 1006, a first drain to source voltage1008 a, and a second drain to source voltage 1008 b. The graph 1000shows the VP voltage signal 1006 (e.g., V_(VP)) and the drain to sourcevoltages 1008 a-b of the two switches MN1, MN2 (e.g., the first drain tosource voltage 1008 a is ctrl1, and second drain to source voltage 1008b is ctrl2). The switching of the switches MN1, MN2 can be in principlesynchronized to any point on the VP voltage signal 1006 waveform. Whilethe synchronization of the switches MN1, MN2 is discussed in the contextof VP voltage signal, the synchronization could be based on thecorresponding current signal in the VP. As will be discussed, theswitching synchronisation point (e.g., in relation to V_(VP)) influencesthe ripple current through the DC inductor (e.g., L1, L2) due to changesin the voltage to which the current doubler inductors are exposed. Thetwo main synchronization points are depicted in FIG. 7B as the positivezero voltage crossing (ZVC) point 730 and the negative zero voltagecrossing (ZVC) point 732. That is, the point where the voltage crossesfrom negative to positive values (T_(s) in FIG. 7B) is called thePositive ZVC. The point where the voltage crosses from positive tonegative values (T_(s)/2 in FIG. 7B) is called the Negative ZVC. Theswitching frequency of MN1, MN2 is synchronised in such a way that aswitch turns-off in the ZVC point and turns-on in the time instant ZVCpoint −D, where D is the duty cycle. This means if the switching issynchronized to the Positive ZVC the switching occurs during thenegative half waveform of the VP voltage (if D<50%). Furthermore, if theswitching is synchronized to the Negative ZVC, the switching occursduring the positive half waveform of the VP voltage (if D<50%). The samewill apply if MN1, MN2 are synchronized such that a switch turns-on inthe ZVC point and turns-off in the time instant ZVC point −D.

Referring to FIGS. 11A and 11B, schematic diagrams of a circuit withpositive zero voltage crossover point synchronization are shown. Toassist with the explanation of the current flow through the system, thecircuit diagrams in FIGS. 11A and 11B are simplified by hiding onecurrent doubler inductor (e.g., L2) and related semiconductors (e.g.,MN2, D4). All the discussions that follow are valid for the otherinductor and related circuitry where the only difference is that thereis reversed polarity of the VP voltage. The output current flowing intothe battery is the sum of the two inductor currents. In an example, theoperating period begins with the first switch MN1 turning-off and VPvoltage rising into positive values (e.g., the positive ZVC point 730).The first interval lasts from t=0 until t=T_(s)/2 (see FIG. 7B). Duringthis interval, the current flows similarly as shown in FIG. 8A (e.g.,without the switch MN1) since the first switch MN1 is OFF during theentire interval. As indicated in FIG. 7B, this interval can besubdivided into first, second and third intervals 728 a, 728 b, 728 c.During the first and third intervals 728 a, 728 c, V_(VP)<V_(Bat) andthe energy delivered to the output is a combination of the energysupplied by the DC inductor L1 (e.g., inductor current decreases) andthe resonant circuit (e.g., VP and C1). During the second interval 728b, the inductor stores L1 the energy (inductor current increases) at therate defined by the voltage difference between the VP voltage andbattery voltage V_(VP)−V_(Bat). The first switch MN1 is OFF to start thenegative half period of the VP voltage (e.g., T_(S)/2−T_(S)). The maincurrent flow is shown in FIG. 11A. The energy previously stored in theDC inductor L1 is used to supply the load. As soon as the switch MN1turns-on, the freewheeling of inductor current begins (i.e., the energystored in the inductor creates current). The current flow during thisinterval is shown in FIG. 11B. The DC inductor current remains constantif the component losses are neglected. The freewheeling interval endswhen the switch MN1 turns-off. This action also starts the next period.The inductor current ripple in case of synchronisation to Positive ZVCis strongly dependent on the switch duty cycle D. This is primarily dueto the presence of the freewheeling interval during which the inductorcurrent does not change. Since the rate of current change during theother intervals is not dependent on the duty cycle, overall currentripple is inversely proportional to the duty cycle.

Referring to FIGS. 12A and 12B, schematic diagrams of a circuit withnegative zero voltage crossover point synchronization are shown. Toassist with the explanation of the current flow through the system, thecircuit diagrams in FIGS. 12A and 12B are simplified by hiding onecurrent doubler inductor (e.g., L2) and related semiconductors (e.g.,MN2, D4). All the discussions that follow are valid for the otherinductor and related circuitry where the only difference is that thereis reversed polarity of the VP voltage. When the first switch MN1turns-on during the positive half period of the VP voltage (i.e., whenV_(VP)<V_(Bat)), the number of intervals that must be consideredincreases significantly. This increases the complexity and provideslittle added value for understanding the practical operation of thesystem. From the practical point of view, the duty cycle varies fromzero to approximately 0.3-0.4. This means that the switch MN1 does notturn-on in the interval between T_(s)/2−t₁ and T_(s)/2. Freewheelingdoes not occur while operating with synchronisation to a Negative ZVCpoint 732. Therefore, the current flow paths and consequently thecurrent ripple for the Negative ZVC are substantially different than anoperation synchronised to Positive ZVC point. For example, an operatingperiod in this case begins with the VP voltage rising into positivevalues. However, in this case, the switch MN1 is in its OFF state duringthe entire previous period. The first interval lasts from t=0 until theswitch MN1 turns-on. During this interval, the current flows are similarto those as shown in FIG. 8A. This interval may be subdivided into twosub-intervals. During the first sub-interval, V_(VP)<V_(Bat) and theenergy delivered to the output is a combination of the energy suppliedby the DC inductor L1 (e.g., inductor current decreases) and theresonant circuit (e.g., VP and C1). During the second sub-interval, theinductor stores the energy (e.g., inductor current increases) at therate defined by the voltage difference between the VP voltage andbattery voltage V_(VP)−V_(Bat). The current flow during bothsub-intervals is similar as shown in FIG. 8A. As soon as the switch MN1turns-on, the second interval starts. The inductor L1 continues to storeenergy. The rate at which this occurs (i.e., the rate of currentincrease), however, increases due to the inductor L1 being exposed tothe full VP voltage V_(VP) and not only to the difference between the VPvoltage and the battery voltage V_(VP)−V_(Bat) as it was during theprevious interval. The current flow in this interval is shown in FIG.12A. The switch MN1 turns-off at the Negative ZVC point 732. The currentflow during the entire negative period of VP voltage is shown in FIG.12B. The inductor L1 supplies its energy to the output during thisentire interval and therefore its current decreases. This interval endsin Positive ZVC point 730 when the next operating period begins.

Referring to FIG. 13A, a graph of simulated waveforms for positive zerovoltage crossover point synchronization is shown. The graph includes aduty cycle wave form 1302 a, a battery voltage value 1304 a, a VPvoltage value 1306 a, and a DC inductor current value 1308 a. The dutycycle wave form 1302 a indicates different duty cycles for the switchMN1. For example, the values for the duty cycle (D) include 0, 10, 20,30, 40, and 49 percent. The battery voltage value 1304 a remainsrelatively constant through the cycle. The 0% duty cycle is aligned withthe positive ZVC in the VP voltage value 1306 a. The DC inductor currentvalue 1308 a with Positive ZVC synchronization is dependent on theswitch duty cycle D. This is primarily due to the presence of thefreewheeling interval during which the inductor current does not change.Since the rate of current change during the other intervals is notdependent on the duty cycle, overall current ripple is inverselyproportional to the duty cycle. For example, each line of the VP voltagevalue 1306 a and the DC inductor current value 1308 a corresponds to aduty cycle value. The higher the duty cycle value, the smaller the DCinductor current value 1308 a. The graph assumes constant power outputand battery voltage.

Referring to FIG. 13B, a graph of simulated waveforms for negative zerovoltage crossover point synchronization is shown. The graph includes aduty cycle wave form 1302 b, a battery voltage value 1304 b, a VPvoltage value 1306 b, and a DC inductor current value 1308 b. The dutycycle wave form 1302 b indicates different duty cycles for the switchMN1. For example, the values for the duty cycle (D) include 0, 10, 20,30, and 40 percent. The battery voltage value 1304 b remains relativelyconstant through the cycle. The 0% duty cycle is aligned with thenegative ZVC in the VP voltage value 1306 b. In contrast to Positive ZVCsynchronization, the current ripple in Negative ZVC synchronizationremains essentially constant. That is, as indicated in FIG. 13B, the DCinductor current value 1308 b remains approximately the same for eachduty cycle value. This result indicates that the inductor losses,reactive power injected into the resonant tank and related detuning aswell as output current ripple are independent from the duty cycle D.Also, all of the parameters remain close to the maximum values for aparticular battery voltage.

Referring to FIGS. 14A and 14B, graphs of output and inductor currentswith and without synchronization are shown. The graphs include a timeaxis 1402 and a current axis (Amps) 1404. FIG. 14A illustrates theoperation of the receiver 500 when the transistor switches MN1, MN2 aresynchronized to the VP voltage (i.e., the voltage across the vehicle padcoil VP (V_(VP) in FIG. 5)), and FIG. 14B illustrates an example whenthe transistor switches MN1, MN2 are not synchronized to the VP voltage.Both graphs depict an approximately constant output value 1406 a, 1406 baround 31 amps (e.g., +/−1 amp). In the synchronized system in FIG. 14A,a first inductor current value 1408 a and a second inductor currentvalue 1410 a indicate an approximately constant current ripple of 4Apeak-to-peak, and approximate inductor current values of 21 A. Incontrast, the graph without synchronization depicted in FIG. 14Bindicates that the inductor current ripple varies from approximately 3.5A to 8A peak-to-peak, and the current through the inductors is increasedto approximately 30 A (i.e., over a 9 amp increase as compared to thesynchronized circuit). The level of inductor current variation in graph14B (1408 b, 1410 b) is suboptimal and may lead to unstable operation.Further, the higher inductor current may also require the use of alarger inductor, or larger semiconductors to handle such diverseoperating conditions.

Referring to FIG. 15, an example of a process 1500 for controlling areceiver in a wireless power transfer system is shown. The process 1500is, however, an example only and not limiting. The process 1500 can bealtered, e.g., by having stages added, removed, rearranged, combined,performed concurrently, and/or having single stages split into multiplestages. Other alterations to the process 1500 as shown and described arealso possible.

At stage 1502, a controller 250 detects a signal in a power receivingelement 218, wherein the signal is at an operating frequency. The signalmay be a voltage or corresponding current signal. In the WECV example,the operating frequency may be approximately 85 kHz (e.g., +/−5 kHz).Other applications, such as medical devices, may have other operatingfrequencies such as 6.2 MHz, 16 MHz, etc. The precise frequencies areonly examples as the process 1500 contemplates transmitting systems withvarious operating frequencies such as when a transmitter is out ofcalibration. In general, a wireless power transfer system must react totransmitter variations, alignment and battery voltage variations, aswell as other component tolerances that may impact the tuning of thereceiver. In the WEVC example, referring to FIGS. 7A and 7B, thereceiving element is the vehicle pad VP and the signal is the VP voltagevalue 724 (or the corresponding current value).

At stage 1504, the controller 250 determines a synchronization point inthe signal (e.g., voltage waveform at the receive coil). In theory, thesynchronization point may be at any point in the signal. In operation,it is generally easier to determine the Positive or Negative ZVC points.In the WEVC example, the signal is the VP voltage value 724 and thePositive and Negative ZVC points 730,732 may be used as thesynchronization points. The selection of the synchronization point willimpact the inductor current ripple in the receiver 500. For example, asdepicted in FIG. 13A, the Positive ZVC may significantly reduce ripplecurrent at higher duty cycles. In an embodiment, the correlation betweenthe synchronization point and the impact on ripple current may be usedto tune the receiver 500. For example, since the differentsynchronization points result in different current ripple, and acorresponding difference in reactive power being injected into theresonant tank, the reactive power injection can be controlled withincertain limits which may be used for active system tuning. In eithercase, the selection of the synchronization point and the subsequentsynchronization with the signal improves the stability of the receiver500 and may reduce stress on the transmitter (e.g., on the inverter).

At stage 1506, the controller 250 activates a power flow controllerstage 506 based on the synchronization point and the operatingfrequency. In the WEVC example, the switches MN1, MN2 in the power flowcontroller stage 506 may be configured to switch at the operatingfrequency of the power transfer (e.g., as received at the vehicle pad).Referring to FIGS. 13A and 13B, examples of Positive ZVC and NegativeZVC are shown. The 0% point in the respective duty cycle wave forms 1302a-b indicate the ZVC for each example. This 0% point remainssynchronized with the signal (e.g., the respective VP voltage values1306 a-b). The pulses in the duty cycle wave forms 1302 a-b may thenthen expand from the 0% point based on the duty cycle. The controller250 may be configured to detect the signal at stage 1502 and modify thesynchronization as appropriate.

In an example, the power flow controller may also be configured toadjust the duty cycle based on an inductance value in the powerreceiving element. In an example, the inductance value of a powerreceiving element may change based on the alignment between a vehiclepad and a base pad. Such an inductance variation may cause the tuningand current doubler circuit 504 to be detuned. The tuning may beimproved by increasing the duty cycle in the power flow controller. Thecontroller may detect the inductance variation (e.g., by comparingvoltage and current phase in the L1) and then increase or decrease theswitching duty cycle until the voltage and current measurementapproximately in phase (e.g., +/−10%).

Other examples and implementations are within the scope and spirit ofthe disclosure and appended claims. For example, due to the nature ofsoftware and computers, functions described above can be implementedusing software executed by a processor, hardware, firmware, hardwiring,or a combination of any of these. Features implementing functions mayalso be physically located at various positions, including beingdistributed such that portions of functions are implemented at differentphysical locations.

Also, as used herein, “or” as used in a list of items prefaced by “atleast one of” or prefaced by “one or more of” indicates a disjunctivelist such that, for example, a list of “at least one of A, B, or C,” ora list of “one or more of A, B, or C” means A or B or C or AB or AC orBC or ABC (i.e., A and B and C), or combinations with more than onefeature (e.g., AA, AAB, ABBC, etc.).

As used herein, unless otherwise stated, a statement that a function oroperation is “based on” an item or condition means that the function oroperation is based on the stated item or condition and may be based onone or more items and/or conditions in addition to the stated item orcondition.

Further, an indication that information is sent or transmitted, or astatement of sending or transmitting information, “to” an entity doesnot require completion of the communication. Such indications orstatements include situations where the information is conveyed from asending entity but does not reach an intended recipient of theinformation. The intended recipient, even if not actually receiving theinformation, may still be referred to as a receiving entity, e.g., areceiving execution environment. Further, an entity that is configuredto send or transmit information “to” an intended recipient is notrequired to be configured to complete the delivery of the information tothe intended recipient. For example, the entity may provide theinformation, with an indication of the intended recipient, to anotherentity that is capable of forwarding the information along with anindication of the intended recipient.

Substantial variations may be made in accordance with specificrequirements. For example, customized hardware might also be used,and/or particular elements might be implemented in hardware, software(including portable software, such as applets, etc.), or both. Further,connection to other computing devices such as network input/outputdevices may be employed.

The terms “machine-readable medium” and “computer-readable medium,” asused herein, refer to any medium that participates in providing datathat causes a machine to operate in a specific fashion. Using a computersystem, various computer-readable media might be involved in providinginstructions/code to processor(s) for execution and/or might be used tostore and/or carry such instructions/code (e.g., as signals). In manyimplementations, a computer-readable medium is a physical and/ortangible storage medium. Such a medium may take many forms, includingbut not limited to, non-volatile media and volatile media. Non-volatilemedia include, for example, optical and/or magnetic disks. Volatilemedia include, without limitation, dynamic memory.

Common forms of physical and/or tangible computer-readable mediainclude, for example, a floppy disk, a flexible disk, hard disk,magnetic tape, or any other magnetic medium, a CD-ROM, any other opticalmedium, punchcards, papertape, any other physical medium with patternsof holes, a RAM, a PROM, EPROM, a FLASH-EPROM, any other memory chip orcartridge, a carrier wave as described hereinafter, or any other mediumfrom which a computer can read instructions and/or code.

Various forms of computer-readable media may be involved in carrying oneor more sequences of one or more instructions to one or more processorsfor execution. Merely by way of example, the instructions may initiallybe carried on a magnetic disk and/or optical disc of a remote computer.A remote computer might load the instructions into its dynamic memoryand send the instructions as signals over a transmission medium to bereceived and/or executed by a computer system.

The methods, systems, and devices discussed above are examples. Variousconfigurations may omit, substitute, or add various procedures orcomponents as appropriate. For instance, in alternative configurations,the methods may be performed in an order different from that described,and that various steps may be added, omitted, or combined. Also,features described with respect to certain configurations may becombined in various other configurations. Different aspects and elementsof the configurations may be combined in a similar manner. Also,technology evolves and, thus, many of the elements are examples and donot limit the scope of the disclosure or claims.

Specific details are given in the description to provide a thoroughunderstanding of example configurations (including implementations).However, configurations may be practiced without these specific details.For example, well-known circuits, processes, algorithms, structures, andtechniques have been shown without unnecessary detail in order to avoidobscuring the configurations. This description provides exampleconfigurations only, and does not limit the scope, applicability, orconfigurations of the claims. Rather, the preceding description of theconfigurations provides a description for implementing describedtechniques. Various changes may be made in the function and arrangementof elements without departing from the spirit or scope of thedisclosure.

Also, configurations may be described as a process which is depicted asa flow diagram or block diagram. Although each may describe theoperations as a sequential process, many of the operations can beperformed in parallel or concurrently. In addition, the order of theoperations may be rearranged. A process may have additional stages orfunctions not included in the figure. Furthermore, examples of themethods may be implemented by hardware, software, firmware, middleware,microcode, hardware description languages, or any combination thereof.When implemented in software, firmware, middleware, or microcode, theprogram code or code segments to perform the tasks may be stored in anon-transitory computer-readable medium such as a storage medium.Processors may perform the described tasks.

Components, functional or otherwise, shown in the figures and/ordiscussed herein as being connected or communicating with each other arecommunicatively coupled. That is, they may be directly or indirectlyconnected to enable communication between them.

Having described several example configurations, various modifications,alternative constructions, and equivalents may be used without departingfrom the spirit of the disclosure. For example, the above elements maybe components of a larger system, wherein other rules may takeprecedence over or otherwise modify the application of the invention.Also, a number of operations may be undertaken before, during, or afterthe above elements are considered. Accordingly, the above descriptiondoes not bound the scope of the claims.

Further, more than one invention may be disclosed.

1. An apparatus for receiving power in a wireless power transfer system,comprising: a power receiving element; a tuning and current doublercircuit operably coupled to the power receiving element, wherein thetuning and current doubler circuit includes at least two diodes and atleast one inductor; a power flow controller circuit including atransistor device operably coupled to the tuning and current doublercircuit; and a controller operably coupled to the power receivingelement and the power flow controller circuit and configured to detect asignal in the power receiving element and to synchronize the power flowcontroller circuit based on the signal.
 2. The apparatus of claim 1wherein the controller is configured to synchronize the power flowcontroller circuit based on a negative zero crossover point in thesignal.
 3. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the controller is configuredto synchronize the power flow controller circuit based on a positivezero crossover point in the signal.
 4. The apparatus of claim 1 furthercomprising a power output operably coupled to the power flow controllercircuit.
 5. The apparatus of claim 4 wherein the power output includes abattery.
 6. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the signal in the powerreceiving element is a voltage signal in the power receiving element. 7.The apparatus of claim 6 wherein a frequency of the voltage signal is ina range of 80 to 90 kHz.
 8. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein thecontroller is configured to determine a duty cycle of the power flowcontroller circuit.
 9. The apparatus of claim 8 wherein the duty cycleis based on an inductor current value in the tuning and current doublercircuit.
 10. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the signal is a currentsignal in the power receiving element.
 11. The apparatus of claim 1wherein the power receiving element receives power via an inductivecoupling with a transmitter.
 12. A method of controlling a receiver in awireless power transfer system, comprising: detecting a signal in apower receiving element, wherein the signal is at an operatingfrequency; determining a synchronization point in the signal; activatinga transistor device in a power flow controller based on thesynchronization point and the operating frequency; and wherein a tuningand current doubler circuit is operably coupled to the power receivingelement and includes at least two diodes and at least one inductor. 13.The method of claim 12 wherein determining the synchronization pointincludes determining a negative zero voltage crossing point in thesignal.
 14. The method of claim 12 wherein determining thesynchronization point includes determining a positive zero voltagecrossing point in the signal.
 15. The method of claim 12 furthercomprising: determining a power receiving element inductance value;determining a power flow controller duty cycle based on the powerreceiving element inductance value; and activating the transistor devicein the power flow controller based at least in part on the power flowcontroller duty cycle.
 16. The method of claim 12 wherein activating thetransistor device in the power flow controller includes controlling adrain to source voltage in the transistor device based on thesynchronization point and the operating frequency.
 17. The method ofclaim 12 wherein the signal is a voltage signal in the power receivingelement.
 18. The method of claim 12 further comprising: determining anelectrical current output to a battery, wherein the battery is operablycoupled to the power flow controller via an output filter; determining apower flow controller duty cycle based on the electrical current output;and activating the transistor device in the power flow controller basedat least in part on the power flow controller duty cycle.
 19. The methodof claim 18 wherein the power flow controller duty cycle is between 0%and 50%.
 20. A non-transitory processor-readable storage mediumcomprising instructions for controlling a receiver in a wireless powertransfer, comprising: code for detecting a signal in a power receivingelement, wherein the signal is at an operating frequency; code fordetermining a synchronization point in the signal; and code foractivating a transistor in a power flow controller based on thesynchronization point and the operating frequency, wherein a tuning andcurrent doubler circuit is operably coupled to the power receivingelement and includes at least two diodes and at least one inductor.